Today we’re trying a little something different. Are you ready? Your word is below. Take the next ten minutes to write about the first single memory that word calls up. Focus on the emotions and the experience, spend ten minutes really exploring that memory. Then wrap it up, publish, and come back to link up.
The word is “CRASH”
_____________
Blowing frustrated breaths at the hair that hung in front of my eyes, I continued the futile task of vacuuming out the car. Bits of McNuggets, crayon and gummies began to choke the hose and then it just stopped working. Five dollars in the machine and I was done because of frustration; not because of the sparkling cleanliness. As I turned around to hang the impossibly long vacuum hose up I noticed a man approaching me. He certainly had the “I have something to tell you” look on his face. I did the eyebrow cock and reached into the car to look busy. I hoped to convey that I would listen, but only for a moment. Life was too busy and important to talk to a stranger.
“There was a horrible crash on the bypass. 50 cars or more. A man lost his life. A newlywed. Can you imagine? His poor wife. Have you heard about it?”
All weekend I heard about this young man. At the grocery store they talked about what a wonderful guy he was. At a Christmas party the love he had for his young wife was whispered about. At church the pastor spoke about the faith that he had and about how much his family loved him. Pockets of strangers would gather everywhere I went to discuss this young man and the crash. The conversations never stopped there. New topics were brought up and soon new friendships were formed.
A community brought together in a crash. A young man whose life was stopped too short was continuing to live on and the threads of his life were being woven into something more. People forced to look at the things that they were able to do that day and not take it for granted. A mother who was just trying to vacuum out her car, meeting someone new and hugging her children a little tighter when asked to imagine the crash.
It’s hard to lose someone so early. It’s hard to understand the purpose of the crash that day. It’s easy to see the amazing impact that young man had. It’s amazing to look at how his life and death caused a crash of another kind. Strangers bumping together on the path of life.
Impacted.
Changed.
Gathering love and life a little tighter in their hearts.
Categories: Uncategorized
Alycia Neighbours 
How sad…yet remarkable that someone can have an impact even after they have gone.
Glad to see you back my friend! 🙂
So glad to be back!
I loved this. It’s amazing how strong community can be – and the impact of someone’s life after they’re gone.
Thank you for commenting and visiting today! I enjoyed your piece as well!
You did a great job of bringing out just how much a tragedy like this can impact people even when they didn’t personally know anyone involved.
What a nice way to be remembered. So sad he had to die so soon, though.
This was so powerful. Glad you’re able to how this affected you. This was really well written.
Tracked you down on twitter.
It’s interesting to see how something, even negative can draw a community together, move strangers to talk to each other and how other lives change and are impacted. 🙂
no matter what the topic is, you always have this incredible way of spinning everything to the positive and seeing the positive in everything you encounter. This is one of the reasons why I love you so much, my friend. You are my ray of sunshine, always.
This post is extremely beautiful. I can only hope that when I pass I am remembered this fondly.
That’s so sad when someone loses their life too soon, but I love how you focused on the community coming together, even though it took a tragedy to make it happen. Great job with the prompt.
Something so senseless and he was just starting out his life. But you are right, those are the things that make us hugs our kids a little tighter, then cinch up those car seat straps all that much tighter.
Oh by the way, I see you’re Crayon Wrangler again! I’m glad I stopped by. Don’t be a stranger 🙂
I enjoyed the clarity and message of this piece. Remarkable how tragedy can bring strangers together and form bonds. Good job!
I like that you honored the little moment when you shift from annoyance at a small mishap to experiencing a connection–however brief–with a stranger. It happens all the time, but it’s a seriously powerful moment.